39-year old lefty swinging 1B Todd Helton is showing signs of life with the bat so far in June. He has played in 16 games so far in June for the Rockies and he is 17 for 58 (.293 avg, .753 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Helton has now played in 51 games overall this year for the Rockies and he is 39 for 155 (.252 avg, .703 OPS) with 14 runs scored, 6 homers and 26 RBIs. Helton is proving that he has a little bit left in the gas tank and that’s a good thing for the Rockies.

The Rockies have designated 30-year old righty reliever Logan Kensing for assignment. Kensing pitched in 19 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the Rockies this year and he was 0-1 with 7 saves, a 2.57 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. He also pitched in 1 game out of the pen for the Rockies this year, working 2/3 of an inning without giving up any hits or runs while walking 1 batter and whiffing 1. Kensing has now pitched in 135 games (3 starts) in his first seven years in the majors and he is 8-9 with 2 saves, a 5.79 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. The Rockies won’t sweat over losing Kensing if he is claimed on waivers.

The Rockies have designated 26-year old righty starter/reliever Chris Volstad for assignment. Volstad pitched in 10 games (9 starts) in AAA-ball for the Rockies this year and he was 4-1 with a 4.79 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP. He also pitched in 6 games (0 starts) for the Rockies earlier this year and he was 0-0 with a 10.80 ERA and a 2.40 WHIP. Volstad has now pitched in 130 games (123 starts) in his first six years in the majors and he is 35-51 with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. This won’t be much of a loss for the Rockies. They needed Volstad’s roster spot for Roy Oswalt, who is starting tonight for the Rockies.

27-year old lefty swinging outfielder Carlos Gonzalez has been locked in for the Rockies so far in 2013. He has played in 69 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 83 of 267 (.311 avg, 1.027 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 20 homers, 56 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Gonzalez is leading the majors in runs scored (57) and he is leading the National League in both homers (20) and slugging percentage (.640). Gonzalez has played in 16 games so far in June and he is 20 for 62 (.323 avg, 1.221 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 7 homers, 22 RBIs and 1 stolen base. The Rockies hope the Gonzalez keeps up the good work as they need to make up for the loss of Troy Tulowitzki.

35-year old righty starting pitcher Roy Oswalt could make his Rockies’ debut this Thursady against the Washington Nationals. He has pitched in 5 games (all starts) in AA-ball for the Rockies this year and he is 3-2 with a 2.16 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. He gave up 24 hits and 7 walks while whiffing 25 batters in his first 33 1/3 innings in the minors so far this year. Oswalt has pitched in 356 games (335 starts) in his first 12 years in the majors and he is 163-96 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Oswalt could give the Rockies’ rotation a nice boost.

The Rockies have dealt 20-year old righty swinging outfielder Carl Thomore to the White Sox for cash considerations. Thomore didn’t play in any games in the minors this year for the Rockies. He played in 58 games in his two years in the minors for the Rockies and he was 40 for 204 (.196 avg, .617 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 4 homers, 31 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. This is not much of a loss for the Rockies, as they didn’t like what they saw out of him in his first two years in the minors.

The Colorado Rockies have called up 24-year old righty swinging SS/2B Josh Rutledge to replace Troy Tulowitzki on the active roster. Rutledge played in 43 games earlier this year for the Rockies and he was 38 of 157 (.242 avg, .655 OPS) with 26 runs scored, 5 homers, 13 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. He didn’t hang his head when he got sent to AAA. He played in 17 games in AAA-ball after his demotion and he was 24 of 69 (.348 avg, 1.003 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers, 10 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Rutledge will likely play a lot of SS until Tulowitzki is ready to return to action.

The Rockies have placed 28-year old righty swinging SS Troy Tulowitzki on the 15-day disabled list and he will miss the next 4-6 weeks due to a broken rib on his right side. He has played in 61 games for the Rockies so far this year and he is 77 for 222 (.347 avg, 1.048 OPS) with 41 runs scored, 16 homers and 51 RBIs. Tulowitzki has now played in 805 games in his first 8 years with the Rockies and he is 899 of 3,035 (.296 avg, .881 OPS) with 512 runs scored, 146 homers, 521 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. This is a HUGE blow to the Rockies as Tulowitzki was the best SS in all of baseball to this point in the 2013 season.

27-year old righty reliever Adam Ottavino has been rock solid so far this year for the Rockies. Ottavino has pitched in 21 games (0 starts) for the Rockies so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 1.80 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has only given up 35 hits and 12 walks while whiffing 38 batters in his first 35 innings pitched in 2013. He has now pitched in 74 games (0 starts) in his first two years with the Rockies and he is 5-2 with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Ottavino has made the most of his opportunity with the Rockies as he was buried in the Cardinals’ system before moving out west.

The Rockies have designated 28-year old switch-hitting 2B/OF Eric Young Jr. for assignment. Young played in 57 games for the Rockies this year and he was 40 for 165 (.242 avg, .641 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 1 homer, 6 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Young played in 313 games in his five years with the Rockies and he was 200 for 766 (.261 avg, .671 OPS) with 125 runs scored, 6 homers, 40 RBIs and 70 stolen bases. Young is #8 in Rockies’ history in stolen bases with 70 of them. The Rockies should look to deal Young in the next few days, because I don’t think he will clear waivers. Young won’t have too hard of a time finding a new team if he clears waivers.

UPDATE: (6/19/2013) – The Rockies have dealt Eric Young to the New York Mets for 26-year old righty starting pitcher Collin McHugh. McHugh pitched in 3 games (1 start) for the Mets earlier this year and he was 0-1 with a 10.29 ERA and a 2.14 WHIP. He also pitched in 9 games (all starts) in AAA-ball this year and he was 3-2 with a 2.87 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. McHugh has now pitched in 11 games (5 starts) in his first two years in the majors and he is 0-5 with a 8.26 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP. McHugh came into this season as the Mets’ #24 prospect according to Baseball America, so he might benefit from a chance of scenery.